Advent Calendar

My mum made an advent calendar out of green felt that she attached 24 pieces of yarn to. Each piece of yarn had a hershey's kiss attached to it. One day=one piece of candy. I think it's a very cute idea, but I don't want my kids to count down with a piece of candy each day, especially since they're both still small. Whip Up's collection of advent tutorials got me thinking of ways to entertain my children each day of December and to build up the anticipation of opening an something new each day. And as we don't really buy much of anything for the Christmas holidays, opening up a little something each day is a sweet way to extend the holiday season.

But I'm noticing we're now at the end of November; uh, December starts on Saturday and it's already Wednesday! So thank you Whip Up for putting together a list of things to choose from.

Here's what I think we'll be going with this year.

But what sorts of trinkets could go into the daily advents? My three year old is still being weaned off of his limited Halloween candy, so I'd rather steer him clear of another sweet stash! Here's my brilliant idea: printing up pictures of our family that he hasn't seen yet and get an empty photo album to fill with autumn pictures for each day of the advent.

He loves looking at pictures of the family and reminiscing about our days together. Dashiell loves to name each person or thing in the pictures as his spoken vocabulary is increasing exponentially each day.

Although I love doing origami (I remember taking an origami folding class when I was a really little kid at the Mercer Island library and making Halloween origami fish head costumes for friends in high school), I think it could be too cumbersome to make origami cups that would be big enough to hold a 4x6 for each day of the advent. This year, I may go for the envelopes.

So now I have to come up with a game plan of what things to take care of each day so I have this up and running by Saturday. I could always use Saturday's naptime as the final push for whatever doesn't get done prior.

For
a little history on advent calendars

Another helpful way to remind oneself about what this time of year is all about.

And for a slightly less serious look at holiday consumerism, but meaningful nonetheless:
"What Would Jesus Buy?! Yes, really.

Perhaps it will convince just one more person to keep driving past their local WalMart or to pass over those super cheap kids toys that were made by other little kids in far off lands who should not be spending their childhood making cheap bits for other kids in first world countries!

Handmade By Me

In college I took a class on Theater and the TAs described to us how the populations (of Europe, I'm assuming, this was 15 years ago and my memory has shifted slightly) in medieval times believed inanimate objects were infused with a part of the person who created the object. That by giving somebody something that you made left a part of you with them.
This also reminds me of the concept that some native cultures have that taking their picture took a part of them away. I think this was more a negative association, but through millenia, through cultures the world over, an association of person to object.

And along comes the Handmade culture. The person creates, sells or gives the creation and doesn't it feel - when the interaction is so personal - that the object humms with that person's talent, thoughtfulness, and passion?


I'm not saying that items that are made in far away lands aren't made with caring or aren't imparted with that person's energy. But when something is massed produced, each item is molded or stamped the same as the one before it and the same as the one that comes after it. We hear stories from the media of the factories who pay their workers a pittance of the final selling price. Individuals who work in these factories who, while they have a job, likely do not feel content that their potential is being reached or that their true talent and passion is in play.

A pledge to buy handmade...

Or better yet, why not create with those you enjoy spending time with: music playing in the background; getting caught up in conversation instead of getting caught up in the exchange of money; a memorable, friendly afternoon spent together, rather than with a mall full of strangers all sweating it out from stress rather than from hardwork. Someone bakes the cookies that everyone eats, another person mixes a special cd that is given to each participant, the host does nothing more than provide the space, and each person brings their own talent to the ring. Shouldn't the holidays be about the memories? There is the anticipation of the actual 'day of Christmas', but am I the only one out there that has, year after year, felt let down by the end of the day? I'm hoping to recapture what this time of year should be about... Slowing down as winter descends it's snowy blanket over our homes, enjoying the journey - each day of the advent having its own memories that my friends and family can recount years from now with fondness.

Give a part of yourself to those you love through time, teaching, laughter and memories.

Book Needin'

My library is taking some time to return 'Animal, Vegetable, Miracle' to me. I've had it out three times and it's time they hand it back so I can move beyond October. In the meantime I have nothing to read. I am in desperate need to read.

I tried reading 'Culture Jam' again; I figured it'd been years since I last picked it up, but I feel like so much of it is in my daily consciousness already that I feel like I'm preaching to my own personal choir.

Next time I head out to the library (perhaps this afternoon?) I'll look in the section that houses 'Culture Jammers' and see what's living around it that could be of the same vein, but a new voice.

In the meantime, The Editors cover The Cure's Lullaby (pretty much the only Cure song I'm left liking still since all of the others have been taken from my memory by new, uglier and more annoying memories):
http://itsnotforthecock.dlpwd.co.uk/archives/134

This one remains the Cure song from my Wimbledon days when I would skip out on secretarial school and spend the entire day at a London museum, enjoying the history and art much more than I ever enjoyed learning shorthand or how to use a mimiograph machine. Yes, mimiograph. Ancient!!!

Now, listen to the song because it's effing beautiful!